No one responded.
After a long pause, the little girl quietly said, "We don't know where we are. We were all captured."
Captured?
Xu Zhen was immediately alarmed.
She quickly realized this must be the work of human traffickers.
In certain dynasties, during times of peace, trafficking was more prevalent. The children abducted were often sold for entertainment. As the dynasty neared collapse and people struggled to survive, eating bark and even resorting to cannibalism, there was no time for trafficking.
Considering the woman who bribed the magistrate to convict Little Beggar, Xu Zhen became even more convinced of her theory.
The woman must have found Little Beggar's appearance intriguing, being of Hu descent, and decided to do something underhanded.
Thinking of Little Beggar, Xu Zhen quickly asked the little girl, "Have you seen a girl with a scar at the corner of her eye, about your age?"
The girl shook her head.
Xu Zhen asked, "Am I the only one captured?"
The girl ignored her, glancing at Xu Zhen before retreating to a corner.
Seeing no sign of Little Beggar, Xu Zhen felt somewhat relieved.
She brushed her hand across the dirt beneath her, finding it unpleasant as black soil clung to her fingers.
Beside her, two little girls sat together.
Xu Zhen approached them, "How long have you been here?"
The closest girl kept her head down, her voice barely audible, "I don't know."
Looking at her, Xu Zhen noticed she was even prettier than the first girl, with eyes like autumn water. Even with her hair disheveled, there was a fragile charm that invoked a protective instinct.
So beautiful, no wonder she was trafficked.
Xu Zhen sighed, pondering why she had been captured among the children.
Was it because she looked young?
She wanted to ask more.
The door suddenly opened, and three people entered.
Two burly men led the way, followed by a stout, heavily made-up woman.
Xu Zhen, squinting against the light, tried to see what the trafficker looked like.
Before she could see clearly, the woman strode over and kicked her hard in the leg, cursing, "You brute!"
Xu Zhen yelped, falling to the ground.
The woman cursed, "Who do you think you are, ruining my business!"
A man beside her chimed in, "Sister, is this the one who made you lose the Hu girl?"
"It's her!" The woman seethed with anger.
Chapter 18: Eighteen Treasures ?
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